Book Review: Frank Mulville's Single-handed Sailing

With the weather warming up and the days getting longer in the northern hemisphere, many are starting to think about the sailing season. I sure am. So, it's time for another book review and pondering some other projects for the list.

Single-handed Sailing is not just a book for the single-hander, although written for single-handers. What do I mean by that? Most sailing is done by small crews - usually a couple. This means that most watches are taken with one person on watch. Why not set the boat up to single-hand? That way, the watch keeper doesn't need to wake the off watch person (who might be sleeping) to take care of a sail change, change course, or what have you.

Frank Mulville and Iskra (his 28' gaff-cutter) have appeared in Cruising World, Yatching Monthly, Practical Boat Owner and other sailing magazines. In addition, Mulville has written Terschelling Sands, In Granma's Wake; Girl Stella's Voyage to Cuba, Rustler on the Beach, Schooner Integrity, and Dear Dolphin. Single-handed Sailing was first published in 1981 (2nd edition in 1990), and republished in 1994. He and Iskra have completed six (or more) solo Atlantic crossings, a voyage to Norway and around Iceland.

Single-handed Sailing is of the old school (pre-GPS for instance) but full of sensible advice none-the-less. Mulville comes from the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Sailor) line of thought. His advice runs from the importance of staying aboard the boat (and how to do so), wind-vane self-steering, supplies to carry, storm tactics, maneuvering and anchoring, trade-wind sailing and even which rig to choose.

As an example: he insists that the single-handed sailor who falls overboard is done for, so make sure one doesn't fall overboard by wearing your harness when ever on deck, and making sure you are clipped aboard. He shows how to choose a harness and tether (he prefers a single tether with two hooks at 3' and 8') and rig jack-lines. For jack-lines, he prefers stainless steel running at shoulder height above the lifelines. That way the sailor who falls overboard, will be swung along behind the boat, where he can reach the lanyard rigged to the wind-vane. After pulling the wind-vane lanyard the boat heads up into the wind, and he can climb back aboard on the wind-vane mounting tubing. Try this out before departing, he warns, with another crew member aboard to help if needed. He even mentions that the single-hander will soon learn to use the harness and tether as another "pair of hands" to balance while working on deck.

 In addition, he has wonderful poetry-prose like the following.

After many days alone the single-hander may feel himself so much a part of the environment he finds himself in, so attuned to the changing moods and humours of the ocean, that he may not wish to interfere with its inhabitants. He himself is tolerated, even treated as a friend by the creatures with whom he shares his life. They all in their way contribute to his well-being - the flashing beauty of the flying fish, the grace and elegance of the dolphin, the deadly power of the shark, the ponderous and dignified bulk of the whale, the hurried, busy flight of the storm petrel or the deft, competent mastery of the gull as it endlessly plays the currents and eddies around the yacht - all serve to draw the single-hander closer to his surroundings. It is his ability to identify with the ocean and to become a part of its life which makes it possible for him, unlike any other creature, to survive and flourish in the ocean by himself. The substance of his existence is dependent as much on his state of mind as on his bodily health - the one is a much a part of his well-being as the other. He is a wise and generous man who passes across the ocean in peace, respecting the lives of his fellow wayfarers (160).

I know that some do not like the twin-headsail rig for sailing down the trade winds. But if one wants to give this rig a try, Mulville provides the means to do so.

He is also an advocate about two things with your mainsail that might be worth talking to your sail maker about. 1. Use a miter cut in the main, with a loose foot, to allow a significant roach at both leech and foot without the need for battens. 2. If using a bermudian/marconi rig, a down-haul on the main might make it capable to reefing while running downwind in a heavy wind. Mulville, himself, advocates the gaff rig.

All in all, I think the book is worth reading for the single-hander of a couple getting ready to set sail. I know that I gleaned pieces of information and "food for thought" by reading Single-handed Sailing. I enjoyed some of Mulville's other works, and this one, too. At this point in time, however, when shelf-space aboard is limited, I think this is one I'd get from the Inter-Library Loan system.

Christmas Monday's (2011) Engineless Sailing Video

Hope you've had a good Christmas.

Did you go sailing on Christmas? We are in the midst of doing some remodeling (extending the quarter berth for a growing son) so while we thought about it, we didn't go.

In the midst of celebrating, I find myself giving thanks for loved ones near and far; for those who have mentored me along the way; for friends. Then I've thought, do I, do wec give thanks for the gift of the skills we have, or for those who skills inspire us?

When I ran across this short YouTube video (Knockabout Sloops blog), I just had to share it. This is engine-less sailing at it's most inspiring - sailing out of the travel-lift, through the docks and docking. Nicely done, too. Wow! And while, at this point anyway, I am not advocating pitching/selling the engine, it would be great to be this confident in our sailing to do this, in case the engine were to break down.

I suppose it is just a matter of practice, practice, and more practice.

Blessed Be & Merry Christmas

Rev. Joel

Sjovind splashes and sails out of the slings

Coperthwaite, Voluntary Simplicity and Paradise

This morning I was struck by the following question:

Is it possible to have too much material wealth?
And is it possible to have a life with too much leisure -
        as harmful as one with too much toil?

I have been re-reading William (Bill) S. Coperthwaite's book A Handmade Life: In Search of Simplicity (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2003). In his section on Wealth, Riches, Treasure he asks the above question. Coperthwaite has already stated his opinions on work, or is "labor" a better word?, when writing about "bread labor." "Bread Labor" is the work that needs to be done to survive and make the world better at the same time: washing dishes, cooking, child-care, cutting firewood, teaching and planting gardens are all examples. Coperthwaite mentions how Gandhi thought all of this could be done if everyone pitched in two hours a day. Scott and Helen Nearing thought 4 hours a better estimate. Coperthwaite himself writes that when he goes to cut firewood he takes a book with him and alternates cutting and reading. At the end of the day, he is not sure which was the more rewarding exercise and which the more work.

Living on a boat with our family has reminded us that we can't take it all with us. In fact, I look at the amount of books and resources I have collect for pastoral ministry over the years, and realize that while the books are sitting boxed up in a storage unit, they are not doing anyone any good. Yet, am I willing to part with them? Are they now owning me? Frankly, it is easier to put it on the back burner, 'til the next time I get something out of the storage unit and am confronted with seeing once again these material goods that are starting to own me, or do they? When living in a house, I was not confronted with thinking through the material possessions that surrounded us.

Voluntarily choosing to live simply doesn't mean that we have to only live with cheap goods, that were cheaply made of inferior materials, and traveled long distances. It can mean, that because we are choosing to use/have/deal with less things the material goods we do have can be top quality, excel at some design criteria of our own, and/or feel "right" to us. Because we are choosing to have less, the less we have can be quality products. (By the way, this often leads to individuals spending less money over the long run.)

Listen to Coperthwaite:

THE EXAMPLE OF THE RICH
Imagine a society of a thousand people each having a yearly income of $1,000 and living in poverty. Then imagine that one person in that community has an income ten times the average. If this money were divided evenly, it would mean only $10 more per year for each person. This 1 percent increase would help somewhat, but not a great deal. Although a fairer sharing of the world's wealth is urgently necessary, merely redistributing monetary wealth is minuscule in importance compared with the need for intelligent, cooperative action aimed at improving the quality of life.
     The wealth of the rich would not mean much if it were spread out evenly, but the example of luxurious living spread about is a time bomb.
     The great evil of the rich is the example they set. Yet the power of the rich is very fragile, for their privilege cannot withstand the gaze of an enlightened populace. What good is their accumulated "wealth" if we refused to work for them? If we refused to accept their values and their way of life?
     The trap we are in is that we want to emulate the rich. Their factories produce for us, and we are their buyers, the consumers. If we refused to buy junk, they would have to produce quality. A factory is a liability if its products won't sell. They will produce whatever we demand. We have the control - though we don't know it yet - whenever we decide to take responsibility: that is, when we become mature in our economic thinking and in the use of our purchasing power. The monetary power of the wealthy is a social disease that can be cured, but the remedy needs our help.
     We now have a class of people living according to a consumption pattern that exceeds that of the monarchs of previous centuries and that is rapidly devouring the world's finite resources. It might not matter, physically, if a few thousand people acted in such adolescent fashion, but when millions do, the effect will ultimately be catastrophic, with the added danger that more millions, seeing the example of the rich, will strive for this luxury as well.
     That is our greatest danger now, and the crisis is approaching epidemic proportions. From this vantage point, the "voluntary simplicity" of Richard Gregg becomes more important than every before. Is it possible that we, the people of the industrial nations, the leaders in the race to destroy the earth, could set the pace for a move in a positive direction? Can we meet the challenge?
     Whatever we do is watched closely by the poor of the world. Will we use our economic advantage for the good of humankind or will we continue to rob and to exploit?
     We must search for ways to live that are within the grasp of all people. In this light, redefining wealth and riches becomes a primary challenge (78-9).

And he sets out some examples. But my point is to get us to think through our own myths about how the "world/realty" operates.

You, dear reader, my be wondering why this is here ... what it has to do with faith and with boating? To me it has everything to do with it. One cannot help but live a simpler life by living on a boat (some of us choose to live simpler than others, those who seek out a way of life distinctly different from that on shore verses those who may want more shore-life-type conveniences), but it is still simpler. And I strongly believe that the biological or carbon footprints are smaller.

But I also strongly believe that the reason we don't recognize (nor can find) the two rivers flowing out of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:10-14) is because we are not meant too. Rather, these two rivers are to remind us that the Garden of Eden is just around the corner. Today, they can remind us that we belong in the Garden, and the ways we impact the earth around us, are directly impacting the Garden (which is here, now, around us now).*

The Kingdom/Kindom of God is near - in fact, right around us.
May we have eyes to see, ears to hear, let alone touch, smell, and taste it.

Blessed Be

*For a fuller discussion of this idea, see Brock and Parker's Saving Paradise

Sailing as a Stress Reducer

We went sailing this weekend. Didn't really go anywhere, just out into the Straight of Georgia and then back, where we anchored in Drayton Harbor. But both of us could just feel the stress and tensions of a shore based life disappear.
Keeping the Sabbath (whenever in the week you can do so) has as much to do with keeping ourselves healthy as it does giving glory to the Divine.
Sailing, for me, is one way to do this. Does this have a side benefit? Do sailors live longer?